


Saint Rita’s (or A Bad Beginning)

by merelypassingtime



Series: The Well of Lost Plots [3]
Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Crack, Ficlet, Gen, I Blame Tumblr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-20
Updated: 2017-02-20
Packaged: 2018-09-25 19:44:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9841193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merelypassingtime/pseuds/merelypassingtime
Summary: Eurus clutched the box of crayons tighter to her chest as Uncle Rudy led her up the ornately landscaped walkway towards the imposing red brick building. A small brass plaque next to the door read 'Saint Rita's School for Children, established 1864,' she glared at it.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for my 50 followers/50 comments ficlet giveaway. I am a bit conflicted about posting it here too. In many ways it feels like the beginning of a longer story that I have no plans to write. Just to warn you.

Eurus clutched the box of crayons tighter to her chest as Uncle Rudy led her up the ornately landscaped walkway towards the imposing red brick building. A small brass plaque next to the door read 'Saint Rita's School for Children, established 1864,' she glared at it.

The beautiful grounds and the bland name were a lie, just a pretty face over the heavy steel doors and the wire reinforced glass in the windows. Her parents might have been fooled by appearances and by Uncle Rudy's platitudes about a world class education and the very best in psychiatric care but she knew what a prison looked like even if she had only seen them on the telly.

For a wild moment she felt the need to break free and run away from this place, to escape out on to the long stretch of moorland the silent black car had carried them across to get here before that horrible, menacing building could swallow her whole. Uncle Rudy must have seen her body tense for the run because suddenly his hand was on her shoulder, his smooth voice in her ear, “Don't even consider it, you'd never get far.”

She knew he was right, but it did nothing to stop her absolute certainty that this moment was a crossroad in her young life, and that if she stepped into that building nothing would ever be the same again. But even as she thought that it was already too late, they were inside the building and she knew the opportunity was gone forever as the door snicked closed behind her.

The parting from Uncle Rudy was done without fanfare or any words of goodbye. The only words spoken had been from Uncle Rudy to the matron of the school he had passed her along to, “This is Eurus Holmes, be careful with her.” His tone made it clear that he was not concerned that she be treated well, but was rather warning the woman about her.

The woman was nicer, taking Eurus's crayons and promising her they would be placed in her room when they took her old clothes away. She was given several sets of the 'school uniform,' a white shirt and tie under a shapeless black pinafore dress. The woman then handed her off to the first in a series of doctors who led her though a long and very boring series of introductory physical and mental evaluations.

By the time they were satisfied with their tests it was supper time and the assistant of the last doctor was tasked with depositing her in the dining hall, were he left her alone in her itchy new clothes lost in a sea of strange children.

Eurus took a deep breath, reminded her self that Holmeses were never afraid, and got in line behind the others. She copied them as they took trays and were served food. Then she made a tactical retreat, taking her tray to the empty table at the end of the hall. She picked at her food while covertly watching the groups around her as they chatted and ate. 

She was so absorbed in her observations that the shove caught her completely off guard, toppling her off the bench and on to the ground. When she looked up it was to find a tall blonde girl, maybe 13 or 14 looming over her. The dining hall went quiet around them.

The girl spat down at her, “I said, 'What are you staring at, new girl?'”

Eurus felt her fear and embarrassment coalesce into a bright, almost comforting anger. She shot back, “Maybe I was staring at you.”

In a dazzling display of wit, the girl rejoined, “Oh yeah. Why is that?”

“I was just wondering how much your family must have wanted to get rid of you for them to send you to a children's prison for just a bit of kleptomania.”

“That is not true!” the older girl sputtered, but Eurus could see that she was lying.

“Yes it is, you stole things trying to get some attention at home but they just sent you here.” she continued, then she threw in a shot in the dark. “You must have been quite a disappointment to you mother.” It obviously landed.

The girl made an inarticulate growl of rage and started forward, clearly intent on hurting her as much as humanly possible and Eurus curled into a ball waiting for the first blow to land. It never did.

Instead a command cut across the room, “Moran, stop right there.” It was said in an incongruously high, lilting voice but amazingly it did pull the girl up short. 

“But Jim, you heard her!”

“Yes I did my dear, and maybe you should have listened better.”

“What?”

Eurus looking around her arm caught her first glimpse of the boy talking. It left her even more puzzled as the boy was slight and not much older then she was, yet clearly the older girl was afraid of him. 

As she watched the boy heaved a dramatic sigh and said, “Never mind Moran, I can't expect you to see genius, even when it is directly in front of you. Now go away.”

“But Jim...”

“I told you to go AWAY.” The boy yelled the last word and a shutter visibly ran through the whole hall. Everyone around them was suddenly turning back to their neglected meals, studiously ignoring the scene.

The blonde girl threw a glare at Eurus that promised more trouble to come before she too turned and stalked away. Then it was just her and the small boy. He reached a hand down to help her off the ground, somewhat reluctantly Eurus grasped it.

As he pulled her to her feet he introduced himself, “Jim Moriarty, Hi!” he said, ending in a sing-song voice.

She dropped his hand as soon as she was to her feet, but she met his almost black eyes defiantly as she said, “My name is Eurus. Thanks for the help, Jim.”

“It was not a problem Eurus. It was lovely watching you tear Moran down like that. I am dying to know how you knew all about her.”

“It was all obvious if you just looked.”

“Yes, I guess it was. But so few people look, do they?”

Eurus just shrugged. She didn't disagree with that.

Jim's smile grew wider. “Oh, I do think we are going to be good friends, you and I.”


End file.
